,”MADISON, Wis. — Before the Marquette men's basketball team faced intra-state rival Wisconsin on Saturday, head coach Tom Crean expressed concerns that the Badgers might use their superior size to high-low the Golden Eagles "to death."

But in the final minutes of No. 11 Marquette's 81-76 win over Wisconsin, it was the Golden Eagles' big men that made the difference. Junior forward Dwight Burke grabbed seven offensive rebounds and scored 12 points — none bigger than two free throws to push Marquette's lead from three points to five points with 1:29 remaining.

"We did a great job, especially Dwight Burke," said junior guard Dominic James. "That's one of the things we talked about was his ability to step up at the end. He did a great job.

"Looking at Dwight's stats, that's what we need. The consistency out of that post spot is what we've been lacking."

In the first half, it looked as if Crean's fears about Wisconsin's post ability would come true as the Badgers — who boast a starting lineup that features four players standing at 6-foot-7 or taller — bullied their way to easy baskets in the paint.

Wisconsin senior forward Brian Butch led all scorers with 13 points at halftime as the Badgers trailed by just two, 43-41.

"I thought we were playing in a pool hall in the first half with the way (Wisconsin) was lining their shots up," Crean said. "Brian Butch had a tremendous first half, and we weren't as tough on the boards…there wasn't anyone at the four five position that was really holding their own."

But the second half yielded a different story, as drives by James, Jerel McNeal and Wes Matthews allowed Marquette to find kick-out baskets against the collapsing Wisconsin defense. James finished the game with 20 points and five rebounds, while McNeal chipped in 14 points and five steals.

Burke and senior forward Ousmane Barro helped to limit Butch to four second half points. As a team, the notably smaller Golden Eagles outrebounded the Badgers 41-34, and held a 44-30 scoring advantage in the paint.

"I've coached so many teams where the other team was bigger than us," said Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan. "You still have to get position, you still have to get the ball. Tonight wasn't one of those nights when we laid bodies on people…on the glass we need to be more disciplined."

Wisconsin entered the game riding a 28-game winning streak at the Kohl Center, the third-longest such streak in the country. Marquette had not beaten the Badgers at home since 1997.

"This is such a signature win, whoever got it would have something that everyone will be looking at. When you win here, you've accomplished something pretty good," Crean said.

With the score tied 64-64 with just under five minutes remaining, Marquette went on a 13-7 run to essentially put the game out of Wisconsin's reach.

"We knew it was going to come down to a defensive rebounding ball game," James said. "Toughness always prevails, and that's what rebounding is about."

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